Stolen Flowers
by MizukiSan16
Summary: So I saw this AU post going around on tumblr about person A taking flowers from someone's yard to take to a grave and person B catches them and insists on seeing the girl that they are for. Which, of course, I immediately thought of Kya and Lin. And since our power was out for two days I figured why not just sit down and write it. So, here ya go. Enjoy. Rated M for later chapters?


Lin closed her front door roughly behind her as she stepped out into the late morning sun. The slam echoing throughout the usually quiet neighborhood. A few of the morning stragglers looking up in surprise. On any other day she might have given an apologetic wave but she couldn't bring herself to care enough to this morning. She hated today. she hated everything about this day. A long time ago she had hoped that with each passing year it would get easier. What a fool she had been to believe that. As the anniversary of her mother's death rolled around it was as difficult to handle as the day she died.

She tried to make it a point to visit the grave a few times a year, bringing store bought flowers to lay at the grave. This year had been rough all on it's own and she had become increasingly forgetful. Multiple times having forgotten to buy some, just as she had forgotten yesterday. Luckily for her it hadn't happened too often and luckier still that there was a house with a beautiful garden at the edge of the yard. On the few occasions she had forgotten she would snag a few flowers on her way, thankfully the cemetery was in walking distance. She always felt bad about taking them, any other time she never would have considered taking something from another yard. She was the Chief of police after all. But for her mother's grave it seemed like such a trivial thing to worry about.

As she rounded the corner the house and garden came into view. As usual the front yard was well maintained, and the garden bright with varying flowers of all sorts of colors. She had always wondered who lived there, though she would never stick around to find out.

Lin scanned the yard and surrounding houses, there wasn't a soul to around. Which wasn't surprising since she made her trips during the week. Reassured that there were no eyes on her, Lin knelt down, studying each of the flowers. The garden was as vibrant and beautiful as ever and she felt a twinge of guilt at disturbing it. Taking a moment to scan her option she finally settled on the white lilies. She carefully plucked a few from their place in the soil, shaking off the excess dirt. As she rose to her feet, the last thing she expected to see were a pair of bright blue eyes staring back at her.

Lin took an involuntary step back, her cheeks ablaze with heat at the realization that she had been caught. After all these years, someone had finally seen her. She sighed, opening her mouth to offer and apology.

"I can explain..."

But before she could get the sentence out completely she was interrupted by a soft voice.

"Is she pretty?" The tone wasn't harsh or demanding as Lin had anticipated but rather calm, curious.

Of all the things Lin expected to come out of this woman's mouth after catching her in the act, that was not one of them. "Excuse me?"

"The woman. Is she pretty?"

Lin shook her head trying to understand where this line of questioning was coming from. "What woman?"

An exasperated sigh slipped past the woman's lips and she rolled her eyes. "Don't play dumb. Why else would you be taking flowers from my garden if not to give to a woman you are meeting? I highly doubt that they are for a man. And since I don't see a car, I'm guessing you walked here. So where ever you are heading can't be that far."

"There's no..." Lin tried to interject, to explain that this was all a big misunderstanding. _'Well, as much of a misunderstanding as getting caught stealing flowers can be anyway.'_ She thought to herself.

"And since you are walking, I'm coming with you. I want to see this girl for myself. I'll decide if she is pretty enough to warrant flower theft, Chief."

Lin lifted her free hand to rub at her temple in slow, deliberate circles. A headache was beginning to form and that was the last thing she needed. She had hoped that this woman wouldn't recognize her out of her uniform, but of course she couldn't be that lucky.

"I really don't think you want to do that."

"Oh but I think I do. I deserve to at least know who my flowers are going to."

Just as she was about to protest a low beeping came from her watch and she cursed under her breath. This conversation, this whole interaction was making her late. And above all else she hated being late. She wasn't going to argue with this woman anymore. Turning on her heels she strode away from the garden in the direction of the cemetery, muttering a reluctant, "Fine." as she did so.

As they walked Lin took the opportunity to steal a few glimpses of her unexpected companion. She had been surprisingly quiet, not even offering her name. She looked older than Lin, but not by much perhaps. Her hair was long and pulled back into a high pony-tail, loose strands hanging on either side of her face. In contrast to Lin's dark grey hair, hers was a beautiful silver.

As the gates of the cemetery finally came into view the woman beside her slowed her pace, stopping a few feet away as Lin unlatched the gate, pushing it open. She glanced back over her shoulder, watching the woman for a moment. She was shifting from foot to foot looking noticeably uncomfortable. Obviously she wasn't going to follow any further.

So without a word Lin turned back, passing through the threshold and heading in toward her mothers grave. Leaving the woman behind without a second thought.

A half hour later Lin emerged, empty handed and red eyed. These trips to her mother's grave were never easy for her and they seemed to take more out of her each year. She was deep in her thoughts when she realized someone had been speaking to her, only managing to catch the tail end of the sentence.

"...you an apology."

She turned back around to face the gates and there stood that woman. _'Has she been waiting here this entire time for me to come out?'_ she wondered to herself.

"What?"

Pushing away from the wall she had been leaning against she moved until she was standing in front of Lin.

"I said I owe you an apology."

Lin regarded her for a moment before shaking her head and sighing. "No, I owe you one. I shouldn't have taken your flowers. I'm sorry for that."

The woman smiled and Lin was momentarily taken aback by how pretty she was. "How about we agree to both being jerks? And this jerk is going to take you to lunch as an apology."

She was about to politely decline the offer when she changed her mind. It had already been a rough day and she was starting to get hungry. How bad could lunch with this stranger be? "Lunch sounds delicious."

"Fantastic! I just need to stop by my house and change then we can go. Oh, and you get to buy dessert." She sent her a playful wink before heading back the direction they had come. Taking a few steps before stopping and turning to face Lin again.

"My name is Kya, by the way."


End file.
